The present invention relates generally to elevators and, in particular, to an apparatus for protecting elevator shaft openings during assembly of the shaft doors.
During the erection of an elevator installation, the assembly and alignment of the shaft doors is particularly connected with an appreciable risk of accident. The barriers, which are mounted in the shaft openings of the floors in the building after the carcase work is completed, must be removed for the installation of the shaft doors and fronts. The assembly personnel therefore work for a certain time at the open shaft opening and must protect themselves by means of prescribed safety items, such as a safety belt and rope, against accidents. The danger of the possible falling into the shaft is not, however, eliminated thereby, because falling into the shaft in the roped-on state can still cause severe injuries.
A railing, which is clampable into the shaft door opening and which due to a simple clamping device can be mounted and disassembled rapidly, is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,165. In the mounted state, the protection against falling-in is assured, because those parts which project laterally beyond the shaft opening, above and below, prevent a pushing-in of small objects during cleaning operations on the floor. The railing can be used for different door opening widths in a certain range by means of the clamping device in the form of an upper transverse tube which is expandable against spring force in the manner of a telescope.
The somewhat contradictory requirement that the door opening shall not be barricaded during the working process of the door installation can not be fulfilled by the above-described railing because the protective railing must be removed temporarily for better access for fastening operations at the inward shaft wall adjoining the shaft opening. Thus, the dangers of accident for the elevator installation personnel are still appreciable. Furthermore, the clampable railing can be used only when the barrier previously mounted on the building side has been removed.